A Life Drift
by snowpaum
Summary: Shinji x Hiyori episodes in everyday life.
1. Chapter 1 Descendants

I do not own Bleach.

Shinji x Hiyori

**Chapter 1 Descendants  
**

The weather was cold; the chilly wind swept across Hiyori's face as she walked down the street under the dark, starry night. Hiyori saw a few decorations made in regards to Christmas, which was just around the corner. She lonely stared at a colored, small light bulb dangling at the tip of the tree. The snowman had a black hat on with a carrot smile on its face. Next to the snowman stood a fake reindeer, it head vowing down to the ground. The cold wind, again, penetrated Hiyori's face, down through the very core of her skin, sending a jolt of shiver to her body. Hiyori covered her face with her favorite brown-pleated scarf that Mashiro gave her last year as a Christmas gift.

'Time's gone fast,' thought Hiyori as she slowly strolled to her house.

70 years had passed since the unforgettable incident at Seireitei.

Despite the relatively long time that elapsed quickly, she could still remember every bit of her emotion and memory when she began to transform into a hollow. The more she thought of it, the more the fragments of dreadful memory popped up.

Hiyori stopped thinking right away to avoid excruciating mental pain that recalled bad times. Instead, she picked up the pace to the Vizard's house, where she'd only belong to forever until her death, if there was one.

The door slammed shut as Hiyori took off her shoes and slipped into her house sandal. When she raised her head, she could see Shinji looking at her down as if asking, "Why did ya roam around the town like a lost cheetah till this hour again?"

"What, dickhead? Yer trying to pick a fight?" spoke Hiyori, who obviously didn't understand Shinji's feelings.

Hirako Shinji. The man whom Hiyori never forget, whom Hiyori would always remember subconsciously, for she had given him a permanent scar across his chest back when she just had transformed into a hollow for the first time.

"Yer late again," said Shinji, still fixing his gaze on Hiyori's eyes. Feeling awkward, Hiyori immediately shunned his gaze and passed by him to get a glass of water. She could hear him behind her, asking, "Why yer late? What did ya do till now without any notice? Ya just disappeared in the morning. For what?"

As she poured water to a cup, she quietly answered,

"That's none of ya business. It doesn't concern ya."

Until she finished drinking water, Shinji remained silent. When she put the cup in the sink, Shinji came to her side and stood without a word. Hiyori realized he was intentionally standing in front of her to hear what she'd been doing. She shouted,

"Outta my way, dickhead!"

Shinji didn't move an inch, keeping his grim expression on his face.

"Ya didn't still answer my question, blockhead."

Hiyori glared at him as meanly as she could, but couldn't look into his eyes for long, for Hiyori saw blazing fire in them.

Hiyori loathed the fact that Shinji was the only one who was able to detect whether she was lying or not; he was insightful and keen. It was unnecessary to ask why he had Aizen as his lieutenant when he was in Soul Society.

"Why do I have ta answer yer question, dickhead?" screamed Hiyori, her patience running out.

Again, Shinji kept silence. In contrast to his reserved attitude, his eyes were full of curiosity and a bit of frustration: he didn't understand why Hiyori didn't tell him what she had done till this hour. Not only that, it was very rare for Hiyori to keep secrets from him. He thought that he and every Vizard member, was her comrades. To be frank, he secretly claimed himself little bit more precious to her than every one else, considering the fact that he had been her slave and involuntary (although it was voluntary in a way) guard when whatever tried to harm her. As time passed, it reached the point where he truly wanted to know what he was to Hiyori, not as a friend but as 'something' that was above the friend level—as a man, as a...

lover.

A long silence continued. Couldn't stand it anymore, Hiyori told him,

"Fine! I was just wandering around the street, doin' nothin'. Ya know, just looking around what humans do on holiday what they call Christmas."

"It's been 70 YEARS since we had arrived in the human world. Ya couldn't be curious for it like ya haven't seen it for the first time," said Shinji with a mixed feeling of both anxiety and curiosity, emphasizing 'years' when talking.

Frowning, Hiyori shoved Shinji away, trudged to the living room, and comfortably lied down on the big sofa that other Vizard members used for many different purposes (Mashiro used it for her exercising material while Rose deliberately ruined a patch of cloth to learn sewing). Shinji came along like nothing happened. Somehow his presence disturbed her for no reason: 'What does he want from me?' was the only question echoing in her head. To shut out this disturbing question, she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. A few minutes later, she could hear Shinji's footsteps receding slowly. Fatigue swallowed her very quickly as she loosened herself on the sofa.

***

Hiyori was gone again. However, she was not alone this time. Wearing the special cloak that erased reitsu, Shinji followed her quietly not to get caught. Whenever she made a pace, she checked her back to make sure no one followed her. Shinji was grinning in triumph; the fact that Hiyori couldn't sense him delighted him that he felt he was stronger than her in many ways.

After making a right turn at road A, he could see Hiyori standing before the white, magnificent mansion without a word. At first, Shinji thought she was planning something evil to annoy the residents like she always did when she first came to the human world. Unlike he expected her to be, she looked gloomy; her forlorn glance at the mansion gave Shinji a strange feeling. As he cocked his head more to the right side, he could see a sign that had Sarugaki name on it. He instantly realized right away—this was where Hiyori's family had been 200 years ago.

Although the buildings were renewed, the place where Hiyori resided when she was alive as a human stayed the same. He vaguely remembered her telling him that before she entered Seireitei Academy, she was killed in the human world by a group of samurais in circa 1800. She couldn't meet her family, for she entered Seireitei Academy right after. The name Sarugaki on the sign represented that Sarugaki family lived on and passed the name to the descendants. Shinji now understood why Hiyori was gone everyday recently. Not only that, it reminded him of his human life when he had family—living in a shabby house, working under peasant parents, helping harvesting crops, and raising cows. Shinji found himself saddened by such a long-lasting memory. He studied Hiyori with a pity; then, he went back to their house silently.

***

An hour later, Hiyori came back. This time, Shinji, who was comfortably postured himself on the sofa, didn't bother to ask or talk to her. Hiyori took off her shoes and wordlessly sat right next to him. He felt it was good time to talk to her seriously. He began the conversation,

"Don't carry all the burdens by yerself, dickhead."

"Wha…t?" apparently dazed, Hiyori turned her face to meet his eyes.

"Yer looking for your descendants, right?"

"Huh?! How did ya know…wait, yer following me?" said Hiyori, almost yelling.

Hiyori couldn't feel any particular reitsu around her when she went to Sarugaki mansion as usual. In fact, it was impossible that she couldn't have sensed Shinji's reitsu when he followed her. Without tracking her, there was no way he could have known what she'd been doing.

"Ya wanna know how I knew?" Shinji said as if it was fun.

He grabbed the cloak that sat on his other side showed her the special cloak that Hiyori made based on Kisuke's idea when she was his lieutenant. Hiyori couldn't even think he used it. No, it was foolish not to think that Shinji didn't use it in the first place because when she and Vizard members arrived in the human world, she told everyone to freely use it. Hiyori felt she was fooled by Shinji even though she knew she was foolish. She swiftly reached the cloak before Shinji took it away and ran out of her sight through the backdoor, screaming to her triumphantly,

"Yer blockhead as always!"

Shinji could feel the anger behind him, for he knew Hiyori was running after him like a real cheetah. As he used shunpo, he said to himself,

'Come to think of it, tomorrow is Christmas. What would I give to Hiyori?'

He found the answer.


	2. Chapter 2 The Christmas Gift

I do not own Bleach

**Chapter 2 : The Christmas Gift**

'Damn, that dickhead! Making fun of me again!' said Hiyori inwardly as she quickened her pace to the house after beating Shinji mercilessly as much as she wanted. She was embarrassed at the fact that Shinji found out she was depressed just for a few days ever since she had discovered she had descendants and her family members were alive that they succeeded in passing down the great name 'Sarugaki'. Her prediction was right—none of her family died right away after she was killed. At this thought, she felt a surge of loneliness occupying her mind. Approximately 20 feet away from her, Shinji was picking up his pace to match that of Hiyori. She ignored the approaching reitsu and continued to walk.

* * *

She ascended upstairs to change her clothes, making a heavy thud sound each step she took. Before she could pass by Hacci's room, she caught a sound of the Vizards talking about something that she had absolutely never heard of. She immedately opened the door wide. All the Vizard were blinking at her, wide-eyed.

Lisa was holding her favorite erotic comic book; Mashiro was sitting with her legs folded against her chest; Rose was holding his newly-bought guitar; Love was wiping off his sunglasses with a patch of tissue; Hacchi was sewing his ripped clothes; Kensei was fumbling his dumbbell that he always used when working out. It seemed as if the continuous, peaceful scene was abruptly halted by a sudden, unwanted interruption.

"Hiyorin~what's up?" said Mashiro in a joyful tone.

"What are ya guys doin' without me?" Hiyori asked, clueless.

"We were discussing about what we should do when we go to the villa." Hacchi answered nicely.

"Our villa? For what?" asked Hiyori again.

"Yeah, we all are going there tomorrow for the Christmas and New Year vacation. We should have some break. We've been working hard to earn money. So why not have a nice vacation?" Rose answered this time.

"I can't wait for tomorrow!" exclaimed Love as he put on his sunglasses.

Hiyori remembered the villa located in 30 minutes away from their house. 10 years ago, when Lisa got promoted at work, she took a loan and purchased a nice but not-too-luxury villa. She insisted this would be useful in many ways, considering that Vizards could live many years longer since they didn't age. However, this was not what Hiyori was thinking: she was wondering why she didn't know this when everyone else was discussing about this 'vacation'.

"Why did ya guys make a decision without me?" Hiyori inquired curiously.

"Because if we tell you, you will probably say you're not going." said Kensei bluntly.

Hiyori suddenly felt that she was excluded from the rest of the Vizards; years ago, when they came to the human world, they did everything together, such as cooking meals for holidays and shopping for everyday use(food, clothes, furniture, etc...). Perhaps the reason was everyone had jobs unlike Shinji and Hiyori: Hiyori was too young to work, and Shinji was very good at housework. But what Kensei said was not wrong either. Come to think of it, she was the one who rejected to go somewhere just because she was lazy. Somehow Hiyori realized that she got gradually distant from them over years. She suddenly felt lonely deep inside her heart.

"Well, if ya guys already decided, then I got no choice." her tone was somewhat sullen from disappointment, walking away from them quietly to pack her belongings for the short vacation. She didn't notice Shinji, who was standing right behind the opened door and listening the whole conversation.

* * *

"Everyone, we're here!" shouted Mashiro excitedly.

Hiyori could see the villa covered in a layer of frosty ice over the tall grass. There were 2 dried-up trees next to the villa on each side, providing a short shadow across the slippery floor that was covered in ice as well. She then looked at the sky; a crowd of clouds was floating in the sky like a balloon. Soon all the Vizards went inside,for they didn't want to catch a cold.

While Rose was kindling fire at the fireplace, Lisa, Mashiro, and Love were wiping dirt from the desks and cozy chair. Hacchi was carrying a new sofa to the big room while Shinji was cooking a meal. Hiyori was the only one who didn't do anything at all; all she did was walking around the house and tasting a sample of food that Shinji was making. She strode to the hallway that consisted of the rooms.

If Hiyori was remembering the structure of this building correctly, there was a medium-sized room for Lisa, Mashiro, and herself. Another medium one was for Kensei and Rose. The biggest room, which was equal to the size of 3 rooms, was for Hacchi and Love(Hacchi was supposed to use this room alone, but since he and Love had many things in common, such as reading mangas, they decided to share the room). Hiyori approached the smallest room that only Shinji used. She wondered why Shinji used the room alone—Hacchi should have used the big room by himself and Shinji should have shared his room with Love instead since Hacchi was biggest person . She was deep in thought that she didn't notice someone was standing behind her. Wincing, she whirled around. She could see a blond, short-haired guy. Shinji.

"What yer doing at my room?" Shinji was smirking a little.

"Wha...What? Dickhead? Yer picking fight with me? I ain't gonna hold back!" stammered Hiyori, apparently bewildered to found Shinji at this moment.

"I'm just asking what yer doin' in my room."

"No..nothing!" said Hiyori, stammering again.

For a moment, Shinji was pensive as if thinking something. Then, he opened his mouth.

"Isn't yer room a little bit small for 3 people?"

"Nope, why?" asked Hiyori, looking at him straight into his eyes.

"Ya can come to my room. It's a little big for me to use it by myself" said Shinji as he made an innocent face.

"Huh?" Hiyori was apparently befuddled.

"Come to my room at night. Ya can sleep on the bed while I sleep on the floor. I have extra blankets, ya know." Shinji was now grinning.

"Dickhead! I'm a girl and yer a boy!" Hiyori yelled at Shinji in astonishment.

"Yer biologically a girl, but yer more like a boy, ya know."

Hiyori was pretty sure that Shinji enjoyed making fun of her. The words echoed in her head constantly. '_Biologically a girl, but more like a boy._' She became irritated at the fact that she was recognized as a boy to him. But considering how she had acted in the past, she was acting more like a boy than a girl. Even so, she couldn't hold her anger. Shinji soon found her shaking. Before he could say something, Hiyori kicked him in the face, sending him flying to the end of the hallway.

"Dickhead!" was the only word Shinji heard before she vanished from his sight.

* * *

Hiyori didn't notice that all the Vizards except for her went out to the central markets located nearby their villa. She thought of going there, but decided not to since she knew what the markets sold. Instead, she went into the forest-like place, which had many herds of trees. As she walked, she began to feel isolated from the group. She couldn't help asking herself why they were gone without a word to her. _Why?_ The more she brood over, the more she felt lonely. Under the beautiful moonlight, she let herself wonder in deep thoughts.

Ever since she was born in the spiritual world, she didn't feel loneliness at all; in fact, she was disturbed by the relationships with others. She knew very well that she wasn't the type of person who would feel loneliness. But why would she feel..._lonely_ when the Vizard didn't seem to get along with her? She could find only one answer: it was _her_ fault. She was the one who acted on her own without considering everyone's opinion. She was the one who always went outside by herself, for she didn't want any interruption when enjoying the scenery of the town where they lived in. She was the one who isolated herself from the group. At the thought of this, she felt she was foolish. She was stupid, which Shinji told her always: blockhead. She truly was silly. She was...

"Hey"

She turned around, literally jumping to her feet. She could see Shinji standing before her, looking somewhat concerned of something. She was surprised to find him since she thought he was gone along with the others.

"Yer didn't go to the market?"

"I went there and came back." replied Shinji shortly.

"What yer doin' here?"

"What yer doin' here?" asked Shinji the same question.

"I asked ya first" Hiyori insisted.

"I didn't have anythin' to do, so I was walkin' around. Ya?"

"...Me too."

Shinji recognized she was disturbed by 'something' again. This time, it wasn't her family for sure. It was about herself. Everyday Shinji hoped he could be her _resting nest_—that is, when a bird got tired, it could rest on its nest. But somehow Hiyori kept herself shunned from the Vizard group. She needed a person who could comfort her—treat her like a fragile glass that shattered badly. She had depressed expression, which Shinji loathed, on her face. He felt a sudden urge to hug her tightly, hold her in his arms, touch her cheek, and...

"Shinji." said Hiyori, faintly.

"What?"

"Where do ya think I belong to?"

He couldn't hide his surprise at the fact that she actually asked him in serious tone. There was only one answer to her question.

"Yer belong to Vizard, dummy" said Shinji as a matter-of-factly.

"Do ya really think so?

"Of course, ya belong to Vizard. Only Vizard."

Hiyori was speechless; she expected Shinji making fun of her like he always did. This time he was taking her question seriously; she was surprised to find another side of him. Shinji was fishing his hands into his pocket that was attached to his winter jacket. What he took out was a pair of..._hairpins_.

Shinji came down to his knees so his eyes were at the same level at her eyes. Then he held one hairpin in his right hand and pinned it on her sideswept-like bang. He pinned another. And another. And another at the opposite side. And another.

"Yeah, it's done. Ya look like a girl like that."

Without a word, Hiyori continued to stare him in the eyes. He was staring at her back; his eyes were full of comfort and warmth, which Hiyori apparently lacked and wished for. Hiyori felt agitated somehow.

"The hairpis are all red. Red suits ya. It kinda refers to passion, or impatience." said Shinji, making a light joke at the end. However, Hiyori didn't say anything. Her head was full of chaos—She didn't want to admit that her heart thumped fast whenever Shinji's hand brushed her cheek. For many years, Shinji was just her friend and a good companion although she kicked him everyday. It felt very awkward to get shy. She always thought that Shinji was just her companion, nothing more, nothing less. But why would she...get _nervous_ when Shinji touched her, when he looked at her straight into her eyes. She had no idea at all(She wondered if she blushed, too). Then, she came across the straightforward question,

'Why would I get...blushed? Why does my heart beat so so fast? What is he to me?'

Shinji cupped her shoulders with his hands and got up to his feet. Then he patted her on the head.

"That's my Christmas gift. Don't ya have it for me?"

"Huh..? Ughh...sorry. I don't have it." murmured Hiyori, completely dazed.

Shinji smirked a little when he saw Hiyori, her body and face very stiff.

"By the way...aren't ya gonna sleep in my room? I'm no bad guy."

Hiyori punched him in his stomach. Was he under illusion? He didn't feel the punch painful at all. Rather, it felt like a soft cushion hitting him. He was proud of himself, bravely handing her the hairpins.

He found Hiyori walking ahead back to the hut. Smiling, he followed her blithely. There was one question flowing in his head,

'Would she think me as a _resting nest _from now on?'

The moonlight brightened the path for them as the winter breeze wafted through a group of trees.


	3. Chapter 3 Sofa at Vizard House

**Chapter 3 Sofa at Vizard's House**

Sun was hung in the morning sky as if to illuminate the world with its ray. Under the shining ray, birds flew through the clusters of airy clouds and tree branches danced along the drift of the morning wind. Faded leaves started to fall across the paved roads, elaborating the atmosphere of complete autumn. Time had passed since the Christmas; spring and summer went by quickly when all members of Vizard tried to look for alternate jobs such as tutoring that could supplement the total annual income. Basically, all Vizards, excluding Shinji and Hiyori, were busy trying to handle two works. This morning was no different from usual day except the fact that Shinji tried a new recipe that he hadn't tried in his life.

"Yer dunno how much effort I've put in this breakfast! Just eat!" Shinji brawled when Lisa groaned about how nasty the pancakes were. Yes, pancakes. It was the first time for Shinji to make pancakes in 70 years because he didn't give a thought about oversea food. Everyone was given 2 pies of freshly baked pancakes made exclusively by Shinji. Mashiro, who thought Lisa's complaint was ridiculous, frowned lightly and interrupted,

"It wasn't bad. It actually tasted nice. What's wrong with you?"

Rose continued on, "Maybe Lisa doesn't like Western food at all. Now is a great chance to learn about the sophisticated Western food such as pasta and bread. You can make pasty by…"

Love smacked his head from behind and said,

"Just eat. Don't give any further lectures. We don't need to hear it."

"I agree," Kensei replied shortly.

"Let's not be noisy and be grateful to have such a fine meal."

Hachigen joined the loud conversation. This time, Hiyori, who was supposed to be the loudest and most annoying, didn't say anything, surprisingly.

"Hiyori~Why are you so quiet today?"

"Cuz I'm eating," a short response came from Hiyori, who always claimed those who disturbed her mealtime shall be punished. Shinji, sitting right next to Hiyori, was satisfied after he looked at her dish, which had 1/4 of the remaining pancake left.

_Creak_—Lisa stood up from the chair, holding the empty dish in her hand.

"Gonna leave first, if I'm late, I'm gonna get fired. Thanks for not-so-good, not-so-bad meal."

Lisa, Rose, Love, Hachigen, Kensei, and Mashiro left the house. Lisa worked as a waitress at a relatively big restaurant to buy recent Josei manga series: Rose had guitar lessons every night so he could fulfill his dream of playing sophisticated instruments: Love became a cashier at a local club with the help of his acquaintance: Hachigen went to Diet Program that guaranteed 40 lbs loss in a month for obvious reason: Kensei, who got a 2nd job from a request random person whom he randomly bumped into, trained a physically weak boy: Mashiro taught Japanese alphabets to kindergartens whom she got to know via newspaper ads. Those who were left in the house were Shinji and Hiyori.

Like always, Shinji put out the dishes and wiped the dining table while Hiyori sat in the sofa comfortably, watching television. Later, finishing kitchen work, Shinji came over and sat beside Hiyori. Her milky white skin, freckles, sharply looking brown eyes, and baby-like lips fascinated him in somewhat perverted way. As he shifted from his covetous gaze from Hiyori to the fabric of sofa, he noticed the sofa he bought from a local store 10 years ago started to wear away.

'No wonder why—it's already 10 years old,' thought Shinji.

He remembered the first time he bought a mini couch from grand-open furniture shop. Back then, furniture made out of decent fabrics was not found everywhere. Rather, it was relatively rare that average people couldn't afford decent ones and ended up buying cheap ones. The old, owner guy of the furniture shop treated Shinji very nice that he offered a discount of half price. Excited, Shinji bought the sofa at a fabulous deal without discussing this to anyone in Vizard. It was Shinji who had hard time convincing Vizards that sitting in a cozy sofa was way better than sitting on cold, flat ground.

The old memory faded as he came back to the reality. The once new sofa was now shabby that Shinji thought he would have to throw it away in the next few years. Not realizing any minute details of the furniture, Hiyori merely stared into the TV not to bore herself. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Shinji's hand approaching her slowly and recoiled slightly in surprise. His hand, turns out, was fumbling the ripped part of the fabric behind where Hiyori leaned on her back.

"This sofa is old now, isn't it?" Shinji asked casually.

"Y…yeah" Hiyori said, blushing from the embarrassment of thinking weird things when his hand got close to her.

Swiftly, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her by force, and held her lightly on his lap. It was too fast that Hiyori couldn't help but be dazed and dumbfounded until she recognized what actually occurred in the interval. Blushing, she immediately struggled to break free from his embrace. As she resisted more, the stronger the embrace became. She couldn't deny the fact that Shinji was much more powerful than Hiyori by any means: natural strength, kidou, and ability to control Zanpaktou. Eventually she gave up on escaping and sat still on his lap quietly like a subservient pet following its master's order. Then, noticing her obedient behavior, Shinji put his chin on her shoulder as he whispered in her ear softly,

"I'm yer sofa always, don't forget this."

A chill ran down her spine. His words were so comforting yet authoritative that she was confused why he said such creepy words. Somehow she didn't hate the fact that he was hugging her—she felt he was cherishing and protecting her. Shinji was tempted to blow a kiss on her reddened soft cheek, but withdrew from temptation because he knew that one day she would truly understand his feelings for her and return him love.

The love that all lovely dovey couples shared.


	4. Chapter 4 Haircut

**Chapter 4: Haircut**

It was 9 pm; by this time many humans would come back from work and stay at home or go out with their precious ones to enjoy their lives. Vizards were not an exception; they left Hiyori and Shinji at their house and went out by themselves to celebrate Kensei's promotion in a nice-mannered buffet. Of course, Shinji asked everyone else to leave him and Hiyori alone, blaming his tiredness of a house cook and her outrageous personality, which could mess up the atmosphere of the party. All Vizards agreed without any protest, for they very well knew that Shinji wanted to be with Hiyori. Furthermore, they promised Shinji that they could come back as late as possible, leading Shinji to speculate their comeback time would be next morning if they consume alcohol.

"Shinij!"

Hiyori's voice echoed in Shinji's room when Shinji was reading an 18-and-up-for-adults-only book he borrowed from Lisa. Sitting on his revolving chair, he turned back to see Hiyori with her hair down that just covered the peak of her breast hidden in the pajama. Was it because outside was dark? A few pins at her swept bangs, red and black plaid top and bottom separate pajama, and the way her eyes stared into his, looked sexy and somewhat seducing. As he thought, Hiyori saw a pervert-like smirk in his face and slapped him right away with her pajama sandal.

"What are you thinking, dumbass?"

She screamed even more loudly. Every time he looked at her like a pervert she couldn't help but realize that Shinji was an average pervert guy. She knew that he wasn't like this until he became a very close friend of hers in this human world. And she knew that Lisa was not a bad girl; it was that she only wanted to know about the origin of perverts and human mind that constructed the curiosity of sex. Before she spoke, Shinji intervened,

"Why did ya come here? To slap me for no reason?

Hiyori told him, "It was for a reason. It's for giving me a pervert glare. Anyway, ya have some money?"

His eyes widened with curiosity. "Why?"

"I gotta cut my hair. It got too long."

This time he only measured her hair length. It did grow for sure over 3 months since her last haircut at a local hair salon, but it was not long enough to cut it.

"I cant let ya cut it. It's not long yet," he asserted.

"No! Why? It got way too long. I don't like long hairs baldy," Hiyori fought back.

Shinji lectured, "First of all, any hair salon is closed at this hour. Also, cutting often when hair is not even that long will cost money. To save money, ya gotta cut it when it gets long. At a times like this, we gotta save single yen. Don't forget, we need to live like humans now. Ya should learn economical matters, dummy."

Shinji's true words pierced her rebellious heart like a sharp, unyielding arrow. What he said was right; she knew from the moment when she became a vVizard that she had to live like everyone else, humans, not soul reapers. She didn't want to admit that she subconsciously considered herself a Shinigami when she was not. Even though 70 years had passed, she couldn't fix the way she perceived herself: a Shinigami. It was not at all her fault; it was naturally to think that way because she lived as a Shinigami for a little over 300 years. Despite that, she hated the fact that she couldn't change it.

When he unexpectedly saw she dropped her head with sullen face, he immediately suggested, "Is it ok if I cut ya hair? I'm gonna trim them the best I can, but don't expect a masterpiece, dummy"

As soon as he finished speaking, she raised her head fast that she felt a twinge of headache. Shinji could see her brown eyes were lit with full of expectations under the bright lamp.

'...It can't be helped, I guess.'

Sitting on a tall, dining chair, Hiyori was waiting for Shinji in the huge training underground to come back with haircut supplies; scissor and a large cover cloth. She couldn't think of anything else related to haircut.

'Was there a supply at our house?'

Suddenly, a dark object covered her eyes.

"I covered your eyes with my attachable eye cover. Don't look. It will take just a few minutes," Shinji whispered lightly at her right year from behind.

For a second, her heart was bumping fast with nervousness and his sweet whisper. She wished she could remove the eye cover and watch what Shinji was doing with her hair. Then, she could feel gentle touch of Shinji's hand on her head. He was fumbling with her hair for sure with some tools, but he was definitely not cutting it.

'What was he doing?'

A few minutes passed. Shinji reached for the eye cover and removed it. When she opened her eyes, she could see handsome face of Shinji, who was smiling happily with warmly gazing, brown eyes. Before she could speak anything, he took out a small mirror from his back and directed at her face so she could see her hair clearly.

Hiyori could see a new hair that she dared never try.

Her swept bang was loosened; each side of hairs was clipped with cute, gem-studded pins and hair end was half-curled outward that the overall hairstyle gave a mature, graceful look.

She immediately blushed at her new self. Shinji put the mirror on the floor and helped her stand up.

"How is that, dummy?"

Couldn't speak a word, she merely looked at him with surprise and gratitude; Shinji obviously knew she was moved by his tenderness and caring of her.

"Shinji...than.."

His sudden hug cut off her next words. Warmth in his arms made her relax and got rid of pervert Shinji image. Come to think of it, she only emphasized people's cons and overlooked pros to make fun of their cons. This was the exact case-she only saw Shinji as a pervert ever since he got close to Lisa and underestimated how good person he was. He was nice, kind, trustworthy, honest, and deeply caring for her. She already knew that, but she chose not to speak or acknowledge his good nature. His good deeds flipped through like an album in her head.

Hiyori wrapped her arms around his waist softly with "Thank you"

When she looked up to meet Shinji's eyes, Shinji locked his lip on hers softly as his arms held her tight.


	5. Chapter 5 Awkward

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or Bleach characters.

**Author's Note**: Thank you everyone who gave me reviews :) I will continue to upload episodic chapters so please look forward to the next chapters too :D

* * *

**Chapter 5: Awkward**

When Shinji's lip parted away from Hiyori's, Hiyori could not think of anything; her mind was blank. Shinji did not stop staring into her eyes with serious expression. In response, she averted away from his gaze and lowered her head. Even though she was mentally a kid, she knew that the atmosphere was awkward and uncomfortable to the point that she wanted to run away as soon as possible.

"Augh...I got to go somewhere. I forgot," she mumbled as she broke free from his embrace and ran away through the main door of the house.

"Hi..hiyori!" Shinji shouted. All he could see was a widely-open door and an empty street.

Hiyori ran across the street fast until she got exhausted completely. She didn't care about the direction; his face constantly hovered before her eyes in illusion. The more she thought of the kiss, the harder and faster her heart beat. The wind swept her hair from her head as the hairpin that Shinji gave her dangled from the hair ends and fell out.

A few minutes later, she stopped by Urahara Market, which had the architecture of an average house. She went to the market, only to find Urahara sitting on an outdoor chair and fanning himself with a traditional Japanese fan.

Urahara flashed a smile and waved at her, "Hi~Hiyori-san, long time no see!"

She pouted her lips and replied, "It's not even long time. Ya see me a month ago."

"That is a long time in human's time! We are humans, after all," he explained.

"Shut up, I'm Vizard. Ya might be Shinigami."

Chuckling, he asked, "Hiyori-san, your hair is falling out everywhere. It looks messy."

"Eh?"

In astonishment, she fumbled her hair, but she did not find a hairpin that was supposed to set her hair neat. Immediately, she ran back to the street without saying bye to Urahara, who was about to offer help.

He sighed, "Her personality never changes."

* * *

Her pigtailed hair fell lose eventually from the velocity of running. Shoulder-length hair flowed with the drift of the wind, making Hiyori look somewhat mature and beautiful. However, she did not care how she looked at this moment, for she had lost one of her precious objects: hairpin that Shinji gave her. Tired of running, she sat on the road and looked up in the sky, which was turning indigo.

_Dawn already?_

As she thought of the hairpin, she was reminded of the incident that had happened an hour ago. Soon, her head ached from the 'complex thought' that involved how to deal with an awkward atmosphere when she were to be with Shinji. Even now she was very thankful that Shinji had not appeared in front of her. If he did, she knew she would have beaten him up right away.

From behind, she could hear someone walking to her with heavy footsteps. Whirling around, she saw the person whom she didn't want to see at this very moment. Wearing the cloak that erased his spiritual pressure completely, he gazed down at her.

"I was surprised yer just left me," he curtly said as if nothing had happened.

Getting up on her feet, she murmured, "It's none of yer business, baldy."

Just then, he approached her in an instant and traced her face from the temporal lobe to her neck as his left hand gently cupped her shoulder. She could not help but shiver slightly and look down at the ground to hide her embarrassment.

"Yer hair is messy," Shinji showed a smile, which Hiyori failed to see.

"I...I know," replied Hiyori.

"By the way...where's the hairpin that I gave you?"

Her head jerked up, wincing at his words. This time, she directly stared at him to explain, "I...I left it in my room."

"Boke, you had it like an hour ago," his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Bewildered, she fidgeted at the fact that he caught her lie. Again, she lowered her head in this not-so-comfortable atmosphere. He responded by kneeling on the floor with both knees to keep the eye level the same.

"This is the hairpin yer looking for, right?" Shinji asked softly as he held out the searched pin.

"W...What the..."

"Boke, I coincidentally found it on the street! If yer gonna lose it again, I'm not gonna give ya another one."

He clipped it on her hair, which was parted in 3:7 ratio, giving her more mature look. Shinji did not find her looking beautiful like this.

"Ya should stop making yer hair into pigtail. It looks funny on ya," Shinji giggled lightly.

Silently, she watched him laughing in front of her. Then she kicked him hard in the abdomen with the speed of light. Clutching his abdomen, he fell to the ground with a painful yelp.

"What yer doing, Hiyori?" Shinji screamed in pain.

Without a word, she turned around and began to walk to the Vizard house. Getting up, he soon followed her with a grin on his face.

* * *

When the morning fell, Hiyori did not bother to wake up from the bed, for she was full of complex thoughts about his contrasting behavior. Lisa, who was reading an erotic comic book beside her on the bed, asked curiously.

"What happened between ya two?"

"...Nothing."

Lisa let out a sigh and advised Hiyori earnestly, "Ya know, although ya look like a kid, yer not a kid. Yer an adult actually in humans' age. Well, to be exact, wer all grandparents. Anyway, yer an adult, so ya think and feel like an adult."

Hiyori surveyed her with I-don't-understand face.

"When ya...love someone, ya should admit that. If ya do not like that person, then ya should tell him directly that ya don't like him. If ya like him, then ya should return his feelings. Simply put, ya should confess too."

Hiyori widened her eyes in astonishment and retorted back, "I do not like someone!"

"Yer words do not represent anything to me right now. What I'm saying is, ya should be honest to yerself and distinguish the feeling between just-a-friend and love. Act like an adult."

With cool words, she replaced the book on the shelf behind the bed and left the room, leaving Hiyori alone.

Lisa's words echoed in her head.

_Ya should be honest to yerself and distinguish the feeling between just-a-friend and love._

She questioned herself, "But how?"

_Stupid Lisa...tell me then how to distinguish that feeling._


	6. Chapter 6 Redeeming, and Confession

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach

**Chapter 6: Redeeming, and Confession**

The whole day Lisa's voice echoed in Hiyori's head.

"_When ya...love someone, ya should admit that. If ya do not like that person, then ya should tell him directly that ya don't like him. If ya like him, then ya should return his feelings. Simply put, ya should confess too."_

Hiyori did not realize what love meant. Rather, she refused to even think about the romantic bond that lovers shared. Suddenly, the main door creaked open. When she turned around, she could spot Shinji, attempting to take off his shoes with a plastic bag in his hand.

Shinji called out to her, "Whatcha staring at, Hiyori?"

Blushing, she fidgeted as if he had caught her number one secret. She retorted angrily, "None of yer business, baldy!"

Shinji sighed at the sight of Hiyori scurrying away from him to the kitchen.

* * *

"I told ya, I didn't do anythin wrong! She's just overreactin, Kisuke!" Shinji's voice echoed in Urahara Shop.

Shinji and Kisuke were sitting in the table across from each other while Tessai was brewing tea for the guest. Jinta's loud scream was audible even from 10 meters away. Kisuke spread open his favorite fan and fanned himself, for he could feel the summer coming.

"Are you sure, Hirako-san? Sarugaki-san is the type of person who would get mad for no reason, but that doesn't mean she is unreasonable. Think harder, what made her to run away from you?" Kisuke grew curious.

He trailed off, "Maybe because of that...?"

"That?" Kisuke's eyebrow was twitched as he held his fan below his eyes.

"I...I...kissed...her."

"AHAHAHAHA!" Kisuke laughed so hard for a minute that Shinji wanted to throw him out of the window.

When Kisuke was done laughing, he glared at him in frustration. "What's wrong?"

"Hirako-san, you..ahahahahaha!" Kisuke apparently had hard time stopping his laughter.

This time, Shinji looked at him straight in the eye. "I said, what's wrong?"

"Hirako-san, you surely don't know about women, right?" He couldn't help himself but smirk every second.

"I know about women, of course, Kisuke," Shinji replied annoyingly.

"Then why do you ask about her weird behavior? You know it very well already."

"Hiyori is not like a woman! She is tomboy, ya know?" Shinji was confused why Kisuke was equating Hiyori with woman.

"No matter how much you deny that Hiyori-san is just a tomboy, she's a girl, or a woman in human age. No, actually, she would be great-grandmother in human age to be exact. But still, she's a woman who has feelings like those of other women. Why do you think she's so different from them? Please consider her feelings, Hirako-san," Kisuke sincerely advised for Hiyori's sake.

Shinji was dazed by his own attitude toward Hiyori until now; he surely had been treating her like a boy, not a girl because of her not-so-feminine personality. In fact, he had never considered her to have a feeling of a grown-up, mature woman, maybe a little tomboyish girl's feelings, which he deemed to be very different. The reason why he loved her was that she was the one who candidly understood his feelings and indirectly comforted him when he went through hardships. She never acted picky–maybe a little when it came to food–and viewed everything as 'go-with-the-flow'. No doubt he sincerely loved her to his death, but failed to express his love directly.

"And you're somewhat...playful."

"What?"

"It doesn't mean you're a player. I honestly think you're just fooling around too much, Hirako-san."

Shinji groaned in frustration. He immediately recalled how much he had been fooling around and making jokes in front of Hiyori.

Kisuke continued, "Why don't you be a little more serious? Then your true feelings will get through her."

He nodded in determination. "Thanks, Kisuke."

* * *

Hiyori was standing in front of Vizard's house to breathe in the fresh air of the afternoon. The sun shone brightly in the clear sky, bringing up her depressed mood. She had no idea why she was depressed; nothing was going bad, it was just that she wanted to know how she thought of Shinji. She knew that she wasn't honest to herself; when it came to love consulting, she shrugged off and acted nonchalantly in front of others. This time, she had to be truthful like Lisa told her to be.

"Why yer spaced out?" Shinji's voice was heard from behind.

When she turned around, Shinji was smiling, to which she blushed. Shinji cupped her reddened face and stooped low so his face was a few inches away from hers.

"Don't be scared, ya know...don't run away," His whisper was calming and sweet that Hiyori struggled to break free in embarrassment.

"Look at me straight in the eye."

Hiyori had no choice but to stare at him. Her cheek grew redder when Shinji flashed another smile.

"If I don't do this, yer gonna run away, right?"

She did not say a word.

"Hiyori, yer like a little girl to me. More like a tomboyish girl. So I thought you didn't have a feeling like that of a mature woman. I apologize for not understanding how you feel about me."

"Wh...what? Baldy! Ya overreacting! How I think of ya, is that what ya mean? Baldy! That's why yer baldy!" Hiyori was exasperated.

Shinji hoped he didn't aggravate the situation. "Please be honest to me. Do you...love me as a man?"

She was bewildered even more. She diverted her gaze away from his eyes.

Shinji pulled her face closer. Now it seemed like she was an inch away from him.

"Don't run away, give me the answer. Yes or no, ya have to say either one. Do you think you love me?"

Although Shinji expected how she would react, he was growing somewhat frustrated when she still refused to give the answer. He came down to one solution. Caressing her, he pressed her lips on hers. It was more forceful than the last time; when Hiyori tried to protest, he embraced her waist tightly so she could not run away. Shinji licked her lips as he turned his head slightly to left and right, pecking ever so lightly.

Then, he stuck her tongue into her mouth, her tongue intertwining with his. Hiyori's mind went blank; she suddenly lost her power to resist him or kick him in the abdomen. To be exact, his kiss strangely comforted her. Subsequently, she moaned for the lack of breathe. However, this prompted Shinji to express his feelings more fervently. He then placed his hands on the back of her head and pulled in to interlock his tongue with hers.

Worried if he would go further, she punched her abdomen with considerable force. He jerked away as he clutched his stomach. He then realized what he had done; he literally went overboard. He leered at Hiyori, who had tomato face. Despite what he had done to her, he wanted to say one thing.

"I love you as a woman."

For half a minute, they did not speak to each other in fear of breaking the silence.

Shinji continued, "Do you love me?"

Dazed for a few seconds, Hiyori finally replied, "Whatever!" and turned away from him, trudging to upstairs.

Shinji shouted out, "I will take that as yes!"

The sun looked down on the blond guy, who was jumping in excitement, and smiled. It generated more light beneath him to reflect his joy.

* * *

Don't be afraid to write a review :D


	7. Chapter 7 Restaurant

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach

Chapter 7: Restaurant

* * *

_Creak_ –

"Heeeeeeek!" As soon as Hiyori noticed someone's presence at the door, she ascended the stairs hurriedly and entered her room, shutting the door tightly. Her feet were rooted to the ground for awhile; she warily rested her hands on the knob and dropped her head in deep thought about the _incident_. She strongly moved her head sideways as if such act would erase the moment when she kissed...

Bald head...

"Argghhhh!" Writhing in mental torment, Hiyori clutched her head and frowned. 'That baldy told me he loved me? Dipshit, is he for real?' The wrinkles around her eyes deepened more when her mind conjured up the image of the man whom Hiyori didn't want to see as of now.

"Kek..." Hiyori whirled around at the familiar voice. To her surprise, Shinji was sitting on her bed as if he had already entered the room before Hiyori arrived. She could fee a shiver trickling down her spine and a sweat forming in the hairline.

Hiyori barked angrily, "Why you here, baldy?"

Shinji shrugged, his palms facing up as he bent his arm inward. "This is our home, stupid."

She flinched when Shinji got up to his feet, stretched his arm, and walked to Hiyori closer. The distance between them shortened quickly in just a second as Hiyori remained tensed. She had to admit that she still was not 100% comfortable with the baldy, whatsoever. This was the fact that would not change, unfortunately.

Shinji slowly stooped low and whispered softly in her ear, "Wanna go out to a local restaurant? I will treat ya."

She stared at him wide-eyed; it was a surprise that Shinji was taking her out to a nice restaurant despite the fact that he was unemployed.

She raised her eyebrow in suspicion, "Whatcha want, baldy? Spit it out before I kick ya ass!"

"Nothin, stupid. I just want to take ya to a place where yer haven't been for so long."

"I've been out these days, baldy," she retorted with a frown.

"Really? Then how come I see ya everyday in this house?" he looked at her curiously, hands on his hips and his lips curled up in expectation for her answer.

"It's only been only a few months, baldy!" Hiyori had to raise her head higher to look him in the eye, thanks to their height difference. The red glow crawled up from her neck to all the way up her cheek.

"A few months means a lot to humans, stupid. Let's go out, I'll treat ya."

* * *

The restaurant was actually known for cheap and delicious food served by cute waiters and waitresses, attracting numerous customers especially on weekends. When Shinji and Hiyori entered, it was full of various people talking to lovers, families, and friends and eating in refined manner. The interior was not to be overlooked; red carpets and crimson walls gave her a strange feeling of warmth.

The counter woman came up to them and welcomed, "Welcome, how may I help you?"

"Two people, please." At Shinji's request, she brought two menu and ushered them to an unoccupied table, which was close to the transparent window. When they sat, they browsed menu for awhile.

"What ya want to eat?" Shinji asked her.

"Dunno, baldy. I'm not really hungry cuz I ate one already like an hour ago." She replied nonchalantly, not too excited.

"Then I'm gonna decide yer meal."

"Don't care."

This made Shinji feel somewhat uneasy; his main goal was to impress her, however, her indifferent reaction slightly disappointed him.

Then, a waitress in short, black skirt came to them with a pen and a memo in her hand. "Hello, how are you?"

Shinji flashed his usual smile that Hiyori could see when he saw a cute girl. "How ya, missy."

"Would you like to order?"

"Yea, missy. A meatball spaghetti and a caesar chicken salad, please."

"Do you want to add cheese on the spaghetti?"

Hiyori could merely watch Shinji talking excitedly with the_ eyesore_ and frowned in frustration; strangely, she did not want to see Shinji flirting with a cute waitress in the public. If there were no people in the restaurant, then she would've kicked him straight in the face and left. Public eye was restraining her from doing so.

When the waitress walked away, Hiyori leered at him and complained, "Yer always flirting with cute girls! I've seen it so many times, ya player!"

He chuckled, "Hahahaha, ya think I'm flirtin? Oh, just a second ago, ya mean?"

"Yea."

"That's why yer stupid, Hiyori. Ther is a reason, ya know why?"

She shook her head in response.

"That's because she approached me in a flirty way. Ya know, these waiters make money by flirting with these customers. If ther still like a stone, no one's gonna give a shit about tips. As customer, ya gotta show some courtesy by actin nice. Furthermore, I wasn't even doing somethin like...groping her butt or somethin. I was just smilin at her, is that flirting to ya?"

She remained silent for a moment, for she knew she went overboard.

A few minutes passed; Hiyori shifted in her seat uneasily while Shinji was looking out through the window. Shinji propped his arm on his chin and spoke teasingly, "No matter how long the time passed, ya no change. Yer still short. Half of my height."

He could see her lip curling down at the corner and her eyes blazing with a minor degree of disgust. Hiyori averted his gaze as she scratched her head absently. "Yer still the same."

"Yer not." His tone suddenly became grave. Her eyes shot up to meet his piercing, brown eyes; she realized something was indeed bothering him.

"What's bothering ya," Hiyori asked nonchalantly.

"Yer attitude, ya don't know?" Shinji pushed his face forward to her. Tilting her head, she scowled when she failed to understand Shinji's vague words. She asked again, this time, more seriously, "I don't get it. What's wrong with my attitude?"

A short, awkward pause followed, leaving the two staring at each other curiously. Shinji at last spoke softly, "Yer avoiding me. Even after our..."

"S...shut up." Hiyori quickly cut him off before he could speak of that word.

"Ya see? This is what I don't like. Be natural." For the first time, he dropped his gaze from her to the empty table, which was patiently waiting for the ordered food.

Just then, the waitress came in with a huge plate where the bowls were securely placed. After distributing the dishes, she bowed and left the two in the uncomfortable silence again. Hiyori grabbed her fork and thrust the lettuce into her mouth.

Likewise, Shinji held the fork and twirled it in the middle of the spaghetti noodles of red sauce. After just one try, he knew the unknown cook put extreme care in his food. He smiled at the great customer service.

"I...I don't think I...got changed...dipshit," Hiyori finally mumbled out a few words as she chewed the food molecules in her mouth.

Shinji chuckled, "Finish your food first."

Hiyori managed to swallow it and continued speaking, "If ya think I changed, I would not been here. Don't say I didn't change, dipshit. Cuz I ain't gonna. Not at least when I'm with ya, baldy."

Although Shinji seemed to be busy eating his meatball spaghetti, he was wary of her every word, which seeped into his mind and comforted him. Before he could speak, a piece of lettuce entered his mouth involuntarily. Looking up, he could see Hiyori holding a fork in front of his lip.

He smiled when he safely retrieved the lettuce with his mouth. In return, she smiled back with two words. "I like..."

He furrowed his eyebrow in slight anger when he couldn't hear the word _you_ at the end. He asked, suppressing the urge to grab her hand, leave the restaurant, and kiss her lightly. "Ya like...?"

A spoon bounced off from his forehead with considerable force. Gently rubbing the sore area, which was reddened from the smack, he looked at Hiyori piercingly as if he was planning a revenge. He, however, couldn't come up with one, for he saw a warm smile spreading across her face.

"Ya always suck, dipshit!" She giggled uncontrollably, pointing at the red mark on his forehead. Shinji chuckled before resuming his food consumption.

When Hiyori finished eating her salad, she merely watched Shinji, who comforted her when she was agitated, scared, frightened, or stressed. Even though she didn't verbally express her feelings, she knew she was blessed to have him right next to her and use him to her benefit for the beating purpose.

'I shouldn't keep avoiding him...not anymore...' She thought, her eyes glued to the empty dish laying before her.

Having a supportive friend aside, she couldn't be happier than this. No, he might not be a friend anymore.

Her new _lover_, perhaps.


End file.
